The "Ready Player One" trailer mildly freaked me out

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I guess it depends on what you're into; the 80's aren't exactly a good decade for trip hop, frex.

But I still feel we're in a golden age for entertainment media. We've got all the old stuff that was actually good, and has stood the test of time, at our fingertips. We've also got the new stuff constantly coming - and we can enjoy it for what it is now, even if most of it ultimately won't last. And we've got all those influences combining for the next generation of creatives to work with.
 
Technology has made it much easier to enjoy older media. We have a family Spotify account and we all love it. Can listen to stuff (well most of it) pretty much at a thought's notice.

Spotify is the gold standard against which I measure every streaming service and find them all wanting. Netflix, Amazon, get your shit together.

Spotify has also expanded my musical horizons considerably and I can spend hours hopping across genres from recommendation to recommendation.

That being said, I think the 80s are a fantastic decade if you're into rock in general. Which I am. :smile:
 
Bringing this back a bit to the original topic via the musical genre of vaporwave I was alluding to earlier, I found this quote on TV tropes:

"Global capitalism is nearly there. At the end of the world there will only be liquid advertisement and gaseous desire. Sublimated from our bodies, our untethered senses will endlessly ride escalators through pristine artificial environments, more and less than human, drugged-up and drugged down, catalysed, consuming and consumed by a relentlessly rich economy of sensory information, valued by the pixel. The Virtual Plaza welcomes you, and you will welcome it too."
—Adam Harper in his initial Dummymag article on Vaporwave
 
That being said, I think the 80s are a fantastic decade if you're into rock in general. Which I am. :smile:

Me too. I know there is awful awful stuff from the 80s, but that's the way it is every decade. I heard "Don't Rock The Boat" in a store while I was working today and I wanted to run. In my opinion, the best stuff from the 80s is better than the best stuff from any other decade barring the 60s.
 
Most of the NWOBHM bands were from the 70's; the 70's was the standard, it gave us all the metal/punk and everything glorious, 80's was the time of sperry topsiders.
They formed in the 70s, but made their name in the period 79-82. So that's mostly 80s :tongue:

Seriously, though. Apart from me, who cares about bands like Tygers of Pan Tang or Diamond Head these days?
 
They formed in the 70s, but made their name in the period 79-82. So that's mostly 80s :p
I'm going to be a pain in the ass and argue that the '70s still hadn't ended in 1982, so it is all the '70s. ;)
 
I'm going to be a pain in the ass and argue that the '70s still hadn't ended in 1982, so it is all the '70s. ;)
I'd counter that with the 70s actually ended in '77 when the likes of The Clash, The Sex Pistols and The Damned kicked the whole Punk thing into the mainstream. Forever killing off flares, nylon shirts and brown corduroys. As well as such 70s icons as the Prog Rock movement. God I hated brown cords.

Now you could make a case for the New Romantics and their pastel suits or the post-punks with their reggae and their compressed and chorused guitar tones were the real start of the 80s. Is that getting too technical? It sounds technical. Or that advances in synth technology combined with the can-do DIY ethic of punk was the true start of the 80s.

But for me, it's always going to be sweaty guys playing to sweaty pubs and clubs through cranked up Marshalls. As exemplified by this 1979 classic.

 
I'd counter that with the 70s actually ended in '77 when the likes of The Clash, The Sex Pistols and The Damned kicked the whole Punk thing into the mainstream. Forever killing off flares, nylon shirts and brown corduroys. As well as such 70s icons as the Prog Rock movement. God I hated brown cords.

Now you could make a case for the New Romantics and their pastel suits or the post-punks with their reggae and their compressed and chorused guitar tones were the real start of the 80s. Is that getting too technical? It sounds technical. Or that advances in synth technology combined with the can-do DIY ethic of punk was the true start of the 80s.

But for me, it's always going to be sweaty guys playing to sweaty pubs and clubs through cranked up Marshalls. As exemplified by this 1979 classic.


I can live with that.
 
I'd argue for the 70s setting the benchmark. But the 80s gave us so many of my favourite bands. And the awful acromyn with great music that was the NWOBHM.

I'm going to be a pain in the ass and argue that the '70s still hadn't ended in 1982, so it is all the '70s. ;)

I think by the mid to late 80s, it had become something new though. I like both decades for music (though not a big punk fan). But I feel like all the stuff that happened in the 70s, really crystalized in the 80s into something more stark. When you listen to a lot of those 70s metal bands, the line between rock, hard rock, blues and metal is pretty blurred (which isn't a bad thing at all). But by the mid to late 80s, the metal aesthetic is pretty well understood by the musicians and fans. But you don't get that aesthetic without the 70s, and arguably the best bands came out of that period. Take out bands like Poison, and the 80s had some really great music in my opinion. The 90s, is the decade I always had the biggest trouble with musically.

Also: How did the thread get here from Ready Player One? (I came in hoping for the hot take on that).
 
I think by the mid to late 80s, it had become something new though. I like both decades for music (though not a big punk fan). But I feel like all the stuff that happened in the 70s, really crystalized in the 80s into something more stark. When you listen to a lot of those 70s metal bands, the line between rock, hard rock, blues and metal is pretty blurred (which isn't a bad thing at all). But by the mid to late 80s, the metal aesthetic is pretty well understood by the musicians and fans. But you don't get that aesthetic without the 70s, and arguably the best bands came out of that period. Take out bands like Poison, and the 80s had some really great music in my opinion. The 90s, is the decade I always had the biggest trouble with musically.

Also: How did the thread get here from Ready Player One? (I came in hoping for the hot take on that).
Ready Player One is an homage to the 80's. And a little bit to the late 70's.
 
I think by the mid to late 80s, it had become something new though. I like both decades for music (though not a big punk fan). But I feel like all the stuff that happened in the 70s, really crystalized in the 80s into something more stark. When you listen to a lot of those 70s metal bands, the line between rock, hard rock, blues and metal is pretty blurred (which isn't a bad thing at all). But by the mid to late 80s, the metal aesthetic is pretty well understood by the musicians and fans. But you don't get that aesthetic without the 70s, and arguably the best bands came out of that period. Take out bands like Poison, and the 80s had some really great music in my opinion. The 90s, is the decade I always had the biggest trouble with musically.
It seemed like in the '80s, there was a the big music industry pumping out safe and/or established acts, and there were small labels serving niche markets. If you were willing to dig a little, there was a lot going on. With the early '90s, the big labels suddenly wanted "alternative" and a lot of the smaller music scenes got poisoned by the attention. The other big change was that '90s were when corporate chains really increased their stranglehold on radio. Suddenly, the quirky alternative station near me that played a mix punk, rap, goth metal blues, reggae, and industrial now just played "alternative rock" like Bush and Matchbox 20.
 
Yeah the 1980s was great for the Alternative Scene everywhere, it was the cool scene underneath all the gloss of the commercial 1980s. Pity I was still in school, it was hard to get to the really cool stuff beyond all the MTV clips, but if you knew the right places then Alt Music was very hip. The 1990s initially were awesome with more exposure to alt music rock bands, but it all became very commercial and bloated after a few years. Here in Australia in the late 90s there was a big Indie reaction to the US commercialisation of the alternative music scene, with many folk/rock/dance festival scene acts loosely gathered together by the Triple J radio umbrella. It was great for a time, but by 2010 the scene had been diluted and commercialised to an extent, just like what happened in the USA, although perhaps it still retains a little less marketing straight-jacketing. It's still nowhere near as free-wheeling or vibrant as it used to be, except perhaps with some of the more edgy Electronica acts.
It's the nature of these things I suppose.
 
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80s punk/post-punk/whateverthefuckyouwannacallit is great stuff.
 
I realize that "I Wanna Be Sedated" was actually released in 1978, but I always associated it with the early 80s. Honestly, with Van Halen and other Los Angeles-based acts and New Wave coming on the scene, rock had started to turn a corner anyway.
 
Yeah post-punk and garage rock still sounds more fresh and edgy than the prog rock, hard rock, and even grunge rock that followed. A big influence on many underground alternative rock acts. Such a cool vibe, like having 1960s surf guitar rifts thrashed out to the max. Sounds like an iconic endless college party

Speaking of such, just putting the Femmes out there:
 
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I realize that "I Wanna Be Sedated" was actually released in 1978, but I always associated it with the early 80s. Honestly, with Van Halen and other Los Angeles-based acts and New Wave coming on the scene, rock had started to turn a corner anyway.
That's why I say the 80s really started in 1977. At least for rock music. The genre underwent a huge paradigm shift that culminated in what is now called Hair Metal and Thrash Metal. And much of the reason for this can be traced to a combination of two bands. Van Halen changed the game in terms of guitar playing and songwriting style. While Motorhead changed the game in terms of aggression and image. Between the two, with a few other bands playing their parts, the foundations of 80s rock were laid in the late 70s.
 
That's why I say the 80s really started in 1977. At least for rock music. The genre underwent a huge paradigm shift that culminated in what is now called Hair Metal and Thrash Metal. And much of the reason for this can be traced to a combination of two bands. Van Halen changed the game in terms of guitar playing and songwriting style. While Motorhead changed the game in terms of aggression and image. Between the two, with a few other bands playing their parts, the foundations of 80s rock were laid in the late 70s.
And being ore internet days it could take a few years for something to make it to your local area
 
New trailer:



Alas, it doesn't offer anything to support the 'But is the OASIS really all that good an idea?' question.
 
Reviews are starting to come out now.

I'm majorly disappointed by something:
The first challenge is a huge race instead of the Tomb of Horrors. Fucking fuck.
 
If we're making prophecies about the future based on media, my prediction is Blade Runner in a few, mega cities (spires?) and Mad Max everywhere else in the blasted wastelands in between. The super rich get expensive suites with real trees and tasty food while the rest of us get protein rich algae bars and tacky holograms.

That sounds exactly like Judge Dredd

Maybe I’m weirdly optimistic but I prefer to imagine a future somewhere in between Farscape and Valerian
 
Same here. The sheer amount of pessimistic science fiction out there is borderline Luddism.
"Technology goes horribly wrong in a totally predictable way" is an easy, shallow screenplay formula, and Hollywood loves easy, shallow formulas. They didn't even care when Crichton sold them the same movie twice, once with cowboy robots and once with dinosaurs. It fit the template for a greenlight.
 
2009-09-22-caveman_science_fiction.jpg
 
I'd counter that with the 70s actually ended in '77 when the likes of The Clash, The Sex Pistols and The Damned kicked the whole Punk thing into the mainstream.

On the contrary, that is when the 1970s began. All the singer-songwriter stuff and bands like America and CSN&Y and Eagles were still hanging onto the last thread on the 1960s dream and spirit.

Luckily here in the U.S. the 1970s arrived earlier than the U.K. with acts like Blondie, the Ramones, Richard Hell, New York Dolls, Television, Talking Heads, et al.

Needless to say, this is in reference to "white music," as black acts had a whole other thing going on with funk and dance music and the roots of what is now called hip hop.
 
On the contrary, that is when the 1970s began. All the singer-songwriter stuff and bands like America and CSN&Y and Eagles were still hanging onto the last thread on the 1960s dream and spirit.

Luckily here in the U.S. the 1970s arrived earlier than the U.K. with acts like Blondie, the Ramones, Richard Hell, New York Dolls, Television, Talking Heads, et al.

Needless to say, this is in reference to "white music," as black acts had a whole other thing going on with funk and dance music and the roots of what is now called hip hop.
Black Sabbath. Deep Purple. Led Zeppelin. Thin Lizzy. David Bowie/Ziggy Stsrdust. Marc Bolan and T Rex. Slade. Wizzard. David Gilmour era Pink Floyd. Yes. Sweet. Free. And so many more.

In other words, here in Britain we had the 70s during the 70s. America didn't do everything
and didn't do it first in a lot of cases. In fact, Grand Funk Railroads We're An American Band was a direct response to the second wave of British bands that were touring America to great success.
 
Black Sabbath. Deep Purple. Led Zeppelin. Thin Lizzy. David Bowie/Ziggy Stsrdust. Marc Bolan and T Rex. Slade. Wizzard. David Gilmour era Pink Floyd. Yes. Sweet. Free. And so many more.

In other words, here in Britain we had the 70s during the 70s. America didn't do everything
and didn't do it first in a lot of cases. In fact, Grand Funk Railroads We're An American Band was a direct response to the second wave of British bands that were touring America to great success.

You can believe what you like. Probably think Cliff Richard invented rock'n'roll. :clown:
 
Same here. The sheer amount of pessimistic science fiction out there is borderline Luddism.

I think most good science fiction isn't ludditism, but it recognizes that human nature trumps technology. So every technological 'advance' is entangled with the flaws and hubris of human nature.

A perfect example of that is the net itself, there was a lot of utopian talk about the net only 5 years ago, today I think most people view its impact more realistically as a mixed blessing, like most everything else.

Transhumanism in its pop sense it attempt to deny that, but most literary sf, even of the transhumanist bent deals with that theme to one degree or another.
 
You can believe what you like. Probably think Cliff Richard invented rock'n'roll. :clown:
He didn't. But Hank Marvin defined a generation of guitar players. And no Purple, Sabbath or Zeppwlin would make rock music very, very different.
 
My son listens to Twisted Sister, Kiss, Ozzy Osbourne, Ratt, and more on YouTube. It is so great to be a parent yelling "Turn that stuff up!" instead of "Turn that stuff down!".

Life is good. RPGs are good. Have a :drink: or :coffee: at the Pub and just relax.
 
The reviews for RPO are as I expected. It's amazing looking and fun, but any rumination on the nature of the future of the world outside the Oasis is muted and left to the viewer. I had hoped Spielberg would have taken a page from his hero Kubrick and drilled a bit deeper. That said, the majority of the reviewers I read were extremely impressed with the action scenes.

I'll wait until it hits the local 2nd run theater. Their popcorn is yummy with hot sauce.
 
I like all of that except the hot sauce.
The reviews for RPO are as I expected. It's amazing looking and fun, but any rumination on the nature of the future of the world outside the Oasis is muted and left to the viewer. I had hoped Spielberg would have taken a page from his hero Kubrick and drilled a bit deeper. That said, the majority of the reviewers I read were extremely impressed with the action scenes.

I'll wait until it hits the local 2nd run theater. Their popcorn is yummy with hot sauce.
 
I like all of that except the hot sauce.

I never had hot sauce on popcorn before about a year ago. The second run theater has a lots of Latino patrons and I figured the sauce was out in the condiment section for the nachos. But lo and behold, I watched this couple squirt it on their buttered popcorn and I was intrigued. I love hot sauce and I love popcorn, so what the hell. OMG. Super tasty. The popcorn melts under the sauce assault and you get this wonderful calorie free mess of fire, butter and goop.

It's practically health food.
 
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